Reflecting on 30 years of life and death at Cook County Hospital

Reflecting on 30 years of life and death at Cook County Hospital
'Eight Forty-Eight' revists an interview with Dr. David Ansell, who wrote a book about his time at Cook County Hospital. Flickr/Vernon Dutton
Reflecting on 30 years of life and death at Cook County Hospital
'Eight Forty-Eight' revists an interview with Dr. David Ansell, who wrote a book about his time at Cook County Hospital. Flickr/Vernon Dutton

Reflecting on 30 years of life and death at Cook County Hospital

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Chicago Housing Authority residents may be familiar with Stroger Hospital, formerly known as Cook County Hospital. The public medical facility struggled with a lack of staff and sub-par facilities. But those very issues appealed to one young idealistic doctor named David Ansell. He chronicled his time at Cook County in the book County: Life, Death and Politics at Chicago’s Public Hospital. When he spoke with WBEZ’s Gabriel Spitzer earlier this spring, he began by detailing the hospital’s less than ideal conditions. Thursday, Ansell will be part of a discussion about health care and social justice. A voice familiar to WBEZ listeners will also be honored - Dr. Quentin Young.